Refrigerating and drying machine



2 D D A D D 0 T S H REFRIGERATING AND DRYING MACHINE.

No. 267,806. Patented Nov. 21, 1882.

N. PETERS. PholmLilhugmpMr. Wlflngium n. a

, NITED STATES PATENT @FFIQE.

GEORGE H. STODDABD, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

REFRIGERATING' AND DRYING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 267,806, dated November21, 1882.

' Application filed Febrnary13,1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. STODDARD, of Boston, in the county ofSuffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Refrigerating and Drying Machines, of which the followingis aspecification.

My invention relates to an improvement in machines for refrigerating orfreezing meats, fruits, 85c.

In machines where refrigeration is accomplished by passing air over andin contact-with pipes through which flows some refrigeratingfluidsuch asammonia, sulphurous-acid gas, &c.-certain difficulties occur which arenecessary to be overcome before satisfactory refrigerationis effected.These difficulties are as follows: first, that of keeping the pipes freefrom frost orsnow which accumulates on them, (if not removed,) caused bythe condensation of the moisture in the air passing over them;second,-that of making the joints and valves to the" pipes so tight thatthey will not leak, or of so arranging the same that if they do leak theescaping fluid will not contaminate the air, and thus injure thearticles subjected to refrigeration third, the difficulty of admittingfresh air to the room or building under refrigeration without raisingthe temperature of the same. The pipes through which therefrigerating-fluid flows have been arranged in coils in the form of awheel and rotated; but it is found in practice impossible to convey therefrigerating-fluid into these wheels through the hollow axles, whichare required, without the escape of the fluid; and, again, the weight ofthe wheel is such as to rack the pipes to such an extent as to cause thejoints to be constantly working loose, thus allowing the escape of thefluid, to the injury of'the articles exposed to the same. Again, in thesystem of brushing the coiled pipes above referred to they are not keptfreefrom snow, and consequently poor refrigeration is the result.

It is the object of my invention to overcome the difliculties abovementioned; and to this end it consists in so constructing the stacks ofpipes as to obviate the liability of leaking,

and in so constructing the cold room containing the pipes that if by anychance a leak should occur there is no possibility of the escaping fluidcontaminating the air in the cold room. I further employ brushes andscrapers for keeping the pipes free from snow, so arranged and operatingas to prevent an y injury to the pipes.

The invention further consists in a means for automatically removing thesnow from the floor beneath the stacks ofpipes, soas to utilize the samein the process of refrigeration.

The invention further consists in a means of admitting fresh air to theroom or building under refrigeration without raising the temperature ofthe same.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinalvertical section of an apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is .ahorizontal longitudinal section on the line y y of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is ahorizontal longitudinal section on line or as of Fig. 1. Figs. 4 to 12are enlarged views in detail of parts of the apparatus.

The refrigerating apparatus is built in two stories, the upper orcold-air room containing a series of pipes, A A, extending lengthwise ofthe same, and connected together at their ends by means of curvedcoupling-pipes or elbows a a, so as to form a continuous passage throughthe said pipes for the refrigerating- .flnid, which enters at the smallpipe or manifold O and passes out at thelarge pipe or manifold D, fromwhence it is conducted back to curved pipes or elbows a a on theoutsideof the partitions B B, there being no joints or connections inthe space between the said partitions, so that should there be anyescape or leakage of the refrigerating-fluid at the joints or valves itcannot come in contact with the air between the partitions. The spacesbetween the pipes A A are closed alternately the greater part oftheirlength by means of thin bars or plates of metal or othersuitahlematerial, E E, (see Figs. 2, 6, and 7,) arranged as shown, so asto cause the air to take the direction indicated by the arrows, the airentering atf, Fig. 2, and passing to the box or passage g, and thence tothe room under refrigeration. The pipes A A, with the bars or plates EE, are supported upon standards L L, which are cast in halves and boltedtogether, thus allowing the pipes and bars to expand and contractindependently of each other.

The frost which collects on the pipes A A is cleared off by means ofscrapers and brushes J J, (shown enlarged in Figs. 8 and 9,) connectedto a frame, K K, which slides upon guides l, and to which motion isimparted by a rod, 70, passing through a long stufing-box, m, andoperated by any suitable power. The scrapers J are of the form shown inFig. 8, having a sharpened curved edge fitting over the pipe A, but notin contact with them, and having dull straight edges that move incontact the bars or plates E. The scrapers J are adjustably attached tothe frame K, and arranged at an angle with the pipes A, so as to preventthe snow from packing against the plates B. The brushes J are arrangedat the rear of the scrapers and act in conjunction with them. The snow,as it falls upon the floor of the upper story. is carried by thescrapers and brushes N N into a box or receptacle, S, the said scrapersand brushes beingso arranged and operated that they are in contact withthe floor when moving toward the box S, but are raised up when moving inthe opposite direction. The scrapers and brushes are connected to a bar,P, which is attached to the bar 0, the latter being operated by a cam,on, as hereinafter described.

- p are guides for the bar, and are connected to the same at one end andto the levers P at the other end. The levers P are pivoted to the frameK at one end, and are provided with a long slot in the other end, asshown, for a stud on the bar 0 to work in, so that when the said bar israised it will elevate the scrapers and brushes, and when the bar 0 isdown they will rest upon the floor. The manner of operating the rod 0 isshown in Figs. 4 and 5. The cog-wheels N N turn loosely on an axle, q,the wheel N gearing with thelower rack, R, and the wheel N gearing withthe upper rack, R. The racks R R are stationary, being attached to theceiling of the room. Upon the axle q are tightly key-ed a cam, m, and awheel, n, upon the periphery of which latter are two teeth or stops, 8s. I The axle q is supported in the frame K and moves with it. ()n theinner side of the wheel N is a pawl, which is held against the peripheryof the wheel nby a spring, t, and on the inner side of the wheel Nisalso a pawl, k, and spring t. The circumference of the cog-wheels N Nisjust twice as great as the distance through which the frame K moves inone direction When the frame K is farthest to the right and about toreturn the cogged wheels, cams, 850., are in the position shown in Figs.4 and 5.

necting rod or bar 0 and the lever P, the

scrapers and brushes M M. The scrapers and brushes are kept raised untilthe frame is carri d to the side of the cold room farthest to the left,when the position of the cam m is such as to permit the pinp to fall,and with it the brushes and scrapers. While the frame K is moving towardthe left the rack R causes th a wheel N to move in an opposite directiontothe wheel N, and the pawl 70 slips over the wheel n; but when theframe K begins to move to the right the pawl lcengages with the tooth sand rotates the-wheel n and cam at until they come in position to raisethe pin 1) and its connections, and so the operation is repeated at eachstroke of the frame K. When the receptacles S are to be emptied of snowthe slide 0 is closed and the snow is passed through the door or openinga and thrown into the boxes u u. There are as many boxes or receptaclesS as there are spaces between the stacks of pipes A, the partitions ofthe same coinciding with the stacks of pipes. The boxes to u are soarranged that the melted snow can be readily drawn off. In the bottomsof the boxes at u are coils of pipes w w, through which flows the waterused to cool the gases in the condenser, which is of ordinaryconstruction, and not shown in the drawings. The refrigerating-fluid isdistributed to the different stacks of pipes through the pipe ormanifold O and the pipes 0, which latter are provided with valves G.After passing through the stacks of pipes, the fluid passes throughpipes D, which are provided with valves H, into the pipe or manifold D,whence it is conducted back to the condensing-pump.

Beneath the manifold-pipe D is arranged a receptacle, F, connected withsaid pipe at each end for catching any solid or liquid deposit from therefrigeratingfluid, which deposit can be removed, as desired. Theseveral chambers or compartments are provided with suitable openings anddoors for convenience of access. In Fig.2 is shown an arrangement ofboxes and slides for regulating the admission of air to the cold-airchamber. j is a box by which the warm air returns to the cold room fromthe rooms under refrigeration. j is a box leading to the open air tocarry ofl' warm air, as desired. d is a box for admitting fresh air fromthe outside of the building. The slides h h h are so arranged andadjusted that more'or less of the warm air from the rooms can be let outof the building and replaced by fresh air. When fresh air from outsidethe building is to be used it enters through box d and passes throughthe boxes o, where it is cooled by the snow in the boxes u. It thenpasses by the box 4) up box 0, and, mingling with the warm air from therooms, is drawn IIO IIS

through box f by means of a fan and forced into the cold chamber,through which it circulates and passes off to the rooms underrefrigeration by the box g.

Where a' less expensive machine is desired the arrangement abovedescribed for operating the scrapers and brushes may be dispensed withand the device shown in Fig. substituted,in which case the block -1 isfastened directly to the frame K; and to this block 1 is attached ascraper, 3, (or a brush, or both,) by a hinge, '2. 5 is a guide hingedat 6, (or a spring, as shown in Fig. 11,) the hinged portion beingprevented from falling too low by a support, 7. The guide 5 is so placedthat- When the scraper 3 passes forward the pin 4' raises the hingedportion of the guide, passes beyond it, and allows it to fall. When thescraper moves back ward the pin 4strikes above the point 8 and slidesupon the guide, lifting the scraper and holding it above thefloor untilthe pin returns to the end, when it drops off the guide and permits thescraper to again touch the floor.

The pipes A are shown as being placed horizontally; but they may bearranged vertically and be made of a single length of pipe to form thestack.

What I claim as my invention is 1. The combination, with the pipes A,provided with the bars or partitions E, of the scrapers and brushes, thescrapers being in contact with the partitions but not with the pipes,substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the cogged wheels and racks, an intermediate wheelprovided with teeth actuated by a pawl and a cam, with a sliding frameprovided with scrapers and brushes, wherebythe said frame isintermittently raised and lowered as it moves forward and back,substantially as set forth.

3. The chambers V, in combination with the boxes to, containing snow, asand for the purpose set forth.

4.. The combination of the manifold D, pipe I, and receptacle F, as andfor the purpose set forth.

5. The combination of the supports L, the pipes A, and bars orpartitions E, as'and for the purpose specified.

6. The combination, with the tubes A, of the adjustable scrapers L,constructed with the semicircular edge and two straight edges, as setforth.

In testimony whereof I havesigned my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witness'es,

GEORGE H. STOD D ARD.

